MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences have accredited the Auburn Montgomery Medical Laboratory Science program for the next seven years.

The program provides a certificate to those seeking degrees in biology. Medical laboratory scientists play a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases through their analysis of body fluids, tissues and cells.

The field of medical and clinical laboratory science is expected to grow as much as 14 percent between now and 2018, and the amount of job opportunities will likely exceed the number of job seekers.

"Seventy percent of all medical decisions are based on results obtained from the laboratory, and the additional 30 percent comes from physicians and other health care personnel,” said Kyle Taylor, director of the AUM program. “We prepare students to become integral members of health care teams.”